Nelsonic Old School Lester

Korean made, 2004 model Nelsonic Lester. The brand new model, right before the cease and desist from Gibson came. Cherry sunburst, 22 frets, solid black alder body, mahogany set neck, 1/2" beautiful flamed maple top, ebony fretboard with mother of pearl trapezoid inlays, Grover Roto-matic tuners. Nelsonic humbucking pickups, 60's style slim-taper neck, tune-o-matic bridge, and everything else you would find on a Les Paul.

I bought this guitar brand new on eBay. Why not from Nelsonic? Well, because in their quest to banish all quality Les Paul copies from the face of the earth, Gibson has slapped Nelsonic with a cease and desisit order, aimed at their Lester and Power Load (SG copy) models. So, apparently this guitar has made an impact on Gibson, as Paul Reed Smith and Tokai apparently have also. I don't blame Gibson, but come on folks... you could probably count on one hand the number of people who have heard of Nelsonic.

I play classic rock, Zep, Skynyrd, whatever else you can think of. The sound is fantastic, compared to the Stratocaster copy I have been using. Of course, you're all saying, anything would sound better than a Stratocaster copy, and that's true, but I've played American Stratocasters before, and they sound better than my copy, but not all that different. The Lester's sound is warmer, and much richer, with a better balance of treble and bass. The sound is slightly brightened with the ebony fretboard which I consider to be a plus, as Les Pauls have rosewood fretboards which give a warmer sound. The only bad things I can say about the sound is that the neck pickup sounds a little too warm, and you can't get the same range of sounds out of it as you can with a Stratocaster (or clone). On the other hand, the sounds you can get out of the guitar are excellent. There are no issues of feedback, and absolutely no buzzing or humming, so the humbuckers are doing what they are supposed to do, and the guitar is properly grounded and the two electronic cavities are properly magnetically shielded.

Beautiful! I am looking at the guitar now and drooling. Everything is perfect. The finish looks delicious enough to eat, like a candy coating of some sort - mmmmmm... cherry sunburst... The flamed maple is bookmatched, and the flames are very visible. Looks like some kind of tiger. The guitar is set up perfectly, and the action is nice and low. No sharp frets, no dead frets. The only finish flaws I can see are in three places along the side of the body where the binding meets the body. It looks like some of the finish bled slightly onto the binding. This is not visible when I'm 12" or more from the guitar, so I really don't care.

This guitar is heavy, and seems to be solidly built. No rattles, no loose screws, no knobs, switches, or buttons falling off. The hardware is all top quality, so I really don't see any type of oxidation in the near future, and the finish is nice and thick, so I can't see that wearing off anytime soon. I guess only time will tell, though. I'll get back to you in ten years, but for now, I give it a 10.

I bought the guitar from eBay, so I can't really give an opinion because I've never officially done any business with Nelsonic. But, I have emailed them several times in the past with questions, and they've always been helpful and have gotten right back to me.

I've been playing guitar for about two years now. I have a Fender Princeton amp and a Vox V847 reissue Wah pedal. That's all, I'm on a tight budget. If this guitar were lost or stolen, I would be very upset because Nelsonic is not allowed to make these guitars anymore, and also because I'd probably have to buy a Gibson. I am very happy with what I have. For the price, this guitar can't be beat.

Well let me tell you ... it's a nice piece! I am very surprised and pleased at the look, feel and quality of the guitar. The finish is awesome and the setup is near perfect. Not a scratch on it!! It's a keeper!! It blows away the Epiphones and Agiles LP's in all categories. You would have to buy the real thing to beat it. It's on a par with the $1000 Epiphone Elite Series but the price blows them out of the water!!

The sound is great and the sustain last forever. It's not as heavy as some of the les pauls' I've played but It's still solid and plenty thick! I laid into it this weekend and it stays in tune well. I plan to do some upgrades to the electronics but the stock stuff is good.

Again the setup is near perfect and the action is great. Hit an note and walk away and have lunch, come back and its still singing! The fit is super and the finish thick. Bookmatched top has great definition and the color is awsome. The neck is fast and the frets are perfect.

Haven't had it long enough to know but it's built like a tank. Nothing rattles or shakes. The hardware is solit as a rock. This is one of the best copies I have ever seen.

I received my Old School Lester - Tobacco Burst on Saturday (ordered it Wednesday). That was quick! I've paid more for shipping UPS ground (in the past) and waited over 2 weeks!! I sent several emails and they came back the next day. I will give them a 9 because nobodies perfect but they did good.

I think the did it right. I would like to have one in each finish with different electronics in each. If you want a LP and can't afford the real deal get this. It's as close as it comes!

This is the Nelsonic, Old School Lester, the Atomic series aka their high end guitars. It has all the standard features of a Les Paul, hence the name Old School Lester, that is 4 knobs two tone two volume. Passive pickups, Tune-O-matic bridge, 60's style fast neck, a mahogony body and neck, the neck is a set neck (not bolted on nice), with a rosewood fret board and arched maple top, mine is the classic cherry burst finish. Also it comes with Grover Tuners a nice bonus.

The sound is not as rich as a true Les Paul, but very good sound nonetheless and easily improved on, most people who purchase this guitar are probably looking for a good inexpensive copy of a Les Paul, and that it is.

However, I craved a deeper tone more like a Les Paul Standard, I installed two Seymour Duncan '59's and replaced the pots with Gibson Pots. I used Gibsons 300k pots for the volume, this gives a warmer tone then the 500k volume pots that are standard with humbuckers, and I used standard 500k pots for the tone controls and .020mf capacitors.

Set-up on this guitar was perfect, arrived by U.S. Mail, in tune, ready to play, great action. The finish is stellar Cherry Burst, real deep rich color, nice I assume laquer finish. From a wood stand point this is a Les Paul, that is, it has a Mahogony Body, Maple Top, Mahogoney set Neck, Rosewood fret board, a thing of beauty.

I have had the guitar about 6 months and gigged with it about 15 times with no problems what so ever. It's seems very solid and well built. I did replace the pots and pickups when I got it so I can't comment on the stock electronics. All in all very reliable.

Other than a couple emails when ordering I haven't dealt with the company so this is N\A.

I also own a Les Paul Studio that was $1000, this guitar with the new pickups and pots was about $450 and sounds fabulous, considering it looks and sounds like a $2000 Les Paul Standard I can't complain. If it were lost of stolen I would buy another.